Routines

Aren't routines strange? We never think about them. We never pay attention to the fact we're doing them. We just get into habits and routines and carry on in life. I was driving to work this morning, following my regular routine, heading towards the gas station to grab a diet Dr. Pepper fountain drink. As I'm winding through construction, around orange barrels that I swear are placed in such a way to mimic the game frogger, and towards my employment "destination," I realized this routine was engraved into me. I do this five times a week, twice a day (the driving part at least), and have gotten to the point where I can have an entire fantasy life flow through my head on my drive to work without even concentrating on what's happening in my real life!

That sounds super dangerous.

I bet it is. Oi.

Well once I started thinking about it, I started having a bit of fun with it. The gas station I stop at every morning is Kum & Go (yeah... I know... haha). Why do I stop there? Well it surely isn't because of the ridiculous namesake it carries. No, it's because of it's placement on my routine path. It is on the right side of the road, right before I turn left to head to my store. It doesn't compete with my routine, it is just there. So where is the fun part, you ask? Well, I love QuikTrip and their new Kitchens. For all of you unfortunate souls out there that have never experienced Tulsa's own QuikTrip, I deeply apologize. This is a super gas station, completely equipped with a crapper AND a mini kitchen/restaurant for your enjoyment. Phoenix, Arizona just about peed their pants when they received one!

Back to my story...

So I'm a QuikTrip loyalist, but since the construction on Hwy 44 had halted my previous routine to work, I had to switch to Kum & Go to maintain my diet cancer creating, fake sugar soda needs every morning! Since I work for a company that prides themselves on kissing the butt cheeks of their customers (appropriately so sometimes... some of our customers are wonderful!), I started imagining QuikTrip calling me to ask why I hadn't shopped with them in awhile? How would I answer this question, since clearly I'm their most valued customer with my .50 purchases?

I started feeling special inside. I was making myself feel necessary and needed... highly valued on the red carpet of gas buyers. It's an important carpet people! The lights were shining on me, the cameras and microphones were in my face awaiting my response on how they can change to get me to come back and spend .50! I smiled at all of them, in my head of course, since this was all a daydream. In reality I was winding through frogger orange construction cones at this point. "Well," I started. "Turn my old QuikTrip into a kitchens and I will make a new routine," was my response. Everyone applauded my extremely humdrum response and immediately started construction on my new QuikTrip.

CRAP.

Red light! *braaaaaaake*

Oh yeah... time to turn right and pull into Kum & Go and get my diet Dr. Pepper, before turning left and heading to work...

I need a change in my life, wouldn't you say? Red carpets for gas buyers? Ha. Until next time, folks.